


Rain and Stale Coffee

by water_poet



Category: All the Wrong Questions - Lemony Snicket
Genre: All the Wrong Questions - Freeform, F/M, Just a fluffy oneshot, Lemony Snicket - Freeform, LemonyDemon, Oneshot, Small Fandom, idk - Freeform, idk what to tag, kinda fluffy?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-10
Updated: 2016-09-10
Packaged: 2018-08-14 07:07:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8003095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/water_poet/pseuds/water_poet
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>"Don't flatter yourself, Snicket. You're the only person in this godforsaken town that I can tolerate"<br/>Lemony raised an eyebrow. "I'll take that as a compliment" he smirked.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rain and Stale Coffee

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [stale coffee](https://archiveofourown.org/works/782238) by [d8night](https://archiveofourown.org/users/d8night/pseuds/d8night). 



> Before anyone gets mad, please know that I am aware of another story on this site with a smiliar title, "stale coffee" by d8night. I wrote this forever ago, before I knew about their story. Hopefully I won't ruffle any feathers on this one, please know it was totally a coincidence. Go check out "stale coffee" as well, it's absolutely lovely.

She had invited him under the cover of the worst downpour in Stain'd by the Sea's history, doubtless to hide their tracks. It was a well known fact that crimes of any kind committed under the translucent sheen of rain were hardly ever solved, since the cold water usually washed away all the evidence.

He made sure to leave as many footprints as possible, just in case.

She hadn't told him why they should meet up, but she was his accomplice and he needed information. However he got said information was fine with him, so long as it was within legal ramifications.

Which this was. Barely.

His tweed jacket had become at least six pounds heavier with foul-scented rainwater since he'd snuck out of Lost Arms to brave the downpour. Theodora was probably still sleeping. Last he'd seen of her, she was sprawled out on one of the Lost Arms' rickety twin beds, a book with a brown paper cover labeled "TOP SECRET" in hastily scribbled black ink across her chest as she snored loud enough to wake the Bominating Beast.

He rolled his eyes at the though of his mentor. He preferred, when possible, to simply pretend she did not exist. There are few things more embarrassing than a mentor that acts like a strict mother and orders you around like her son. Lemony shuddered, and this time, it had nothing to do with the rain. Instead, he turned his thoughts to Ellington, most likely waiting for him at the Black Cat, perched atop a worn wooden stool as if it was her throne. He tried to imagine her face, since there was nothing else to see. The rain was falling so thickly and so grey that the normally dull view of Stain'd by the Sea was even glummer than usual.

He pictured her stirring her coffee, hunched over her cup as if she'd never met a table manner in her life. He doubted she had. Based on his limited knowledge of the man, Lemony was fairly certain that Armstrong Feint had little interest in teaching his daughter table manners. The bitter, hot coffee would reflect her face as she stared sullenly into it.

The coffee shop was in sight now, and he ignored the fluttering in his stomach at the thought of her. Perhaps it was not her, simply something he'd eaten. 

The old door creaked and moaned as he entered. It took his eyes a minute to adjust to the dimmer lighting. The Black Cat was the same as it had always been. A dim, mostly unhelpful light hung from the ceiling, and the complicated coffee machine still sat behind the wooden counter.

He pulled off his soggy coat and hung it on a spare peg by the door. There was a gentle creak, as the weight of the garment threatened to yank the the peg out of the wall. There was silence, save the gentle roar of rain outside and the soft clinking of a spoon against ceramic.

Perhaps it wasn't really silent at all, then.

Ellington was waiting for him, just as he'd pictured her. Her long hair hung over her face like a curtain as she stared into her coffee. He eased into a stool next to her, watching her carefully.

She did not look at him for a long moment. 

Lemony only watched her, observing her carefully. She always looked the same, but she never ceased to fascinate him. The way her slender, pale hands stood out against the dark wood of the coffee table, or the fact that her hair looked blue when the light hit it just right.

After what seemed like hours of silence, Ellington looked up, shaking her hair behind her. Her lips were still curled in that smirk, and her eyebrows were still questioning. 

Her green, gleaming eyes were rimmed with red, and her lashes were stuck together with the ghost of past tears.

"Hey, Snicket" she croaked.

He didn't move. Her breath smelled unlike any coffee he'd ever had. Then again, the Black Cat coffee was pretty unlike any coffee he'd ever had. He looked closer.

"Have you been drinking?" he asked. It was an admittedly ridiculous question, but he couldn't help wondering. She gave the answer he expected: Her eyes widened in fury, and she raised a hand to strike him. Lemony was too quick, and caught her wrist before it connected with his jaw.

"It was just a question, Feint" he said firmly. Her lips remained curled into a sneer, but she shook her head.

"Then what have you been doing?" he asked, very slowly. Already he had begun to get the feeling that this was no ordinary information meeting. She sighed deeply, and he could hear the tremor in her breath. "It doesn't matter. I just wanted some company"

Lemony felt his own lips curve into a smirk. "And you invited me?" he asked slyly, if only to irk her.

She did not respond in anger this time, only rolled her eyes. "Don't flatter yourself, Snicket. You're the only person in this godforsaken town that I can tolerate"

Lemony raised an eyebrow. "I'll take that as a compliment" he said.

"Don't let it go to your head" Ellington teased. They laughed together. 

It was strange, he thought, to be sitting in a coffee shop with his accomplice, just talking like they were old friends.

For once, Ellington didn't seem to be hiding anything. She smiled, and laughed, and almost seemed normal. But he'd learned not to trust her, and certainly not to befriend her. He had his own agenda, and she had hers. 

Suddenly they were both silent. The conversation had ceased, and there was now only the sound of rain outside. If was a heavy sort of silence, and one could almost hear the clicking and whirring inside the two companions' minds as they puzzled over what to do next.

Ellington looked over her companion. He interested her greatly, but in a purely observational manner, of course. He had wide brown eyes that gleamed whenever he had a new idea. A sprinkling of freckles was scattered across his nose, small and the tiniest bit crooked. He always wore that enormous cap, covering what she knew to be a mess of brown hair.

As if he'd heard her, he reached up and removed the hat. It was still damp from the rain, he noticed, running a hand through his hair absently.

He glanced up at her, noticing her eyes widen the tiniest bit. "What's wrong, Feint?" he asked coolly.

She smirked back at him, adjusting her elbow in the counter and refusing to answer.

It wouldn't be the first time.

She took her eyes off of him for only a moment as she pushed aside her empty cup. Then they were on him again, green and glowing. 

"I should probably be going, Snicket" she said, although she made no move to exit.

"I won't stop you, Feint" Lemony replied. 

It suddenly occurred to both members the close proximity of their faces. It seemed they had both inched closer to each other during their conversation. There was no move to retreat, however. Ellington's lips parted ever so slightly, and Lemony could feel her gentle breath against his own lips.

Ellington knew what was expected, what had to be done. It seemed odd, but not in the way she expected. She wasn't one to follow rules, even ordinary ones. As she continued to study Lemony's bright brown eyes, she realized that this particular expectation was one she suddenly didn't mind so much.

Lemony knew what expected, what had to been done. It seemed odd, in all the ways he'd expected. After all, Ellington and himself were not friends. They distrusted each other, rightfully so. But with the rain pouring outside and the near silence in the air, the gentle breathing and the buzz of hormones, the more logical parts of his mind seemed to disappear. And for once, he didn't mind so much.

Butterflies raced through Lemony as he leaned forward slightly. Part of him figured she would yank away, laugh at his gullibility, and use it against him. Another part knew Ellington was not anywhere near that cruel, and anyway, neither of them were thinking straight enough to be plotting anything. Before he could consider any other scenarios, he suddenly felt her lips against his, warm and hesitant.

As if that had been a signal, she pressed against him, allowing her slender fingers to slip into his hair. His hands came to rest gently on her waist, just above the black belt she usually wore.

His chest felt tight, as if Ellington's touch had sucked the air right out of his lungs. At the same time, however, his stomach felt full of butterflies, flopping tumultuously within him under the stress of countless emotions and hormones crashing together. It was a strange combination of senses and feelings something he doubted he would've imagined on his own.

Ellington's short nails gently grazed his scalp as she kissed him harder, and he barely noticed. His own hands had begun to grip her waist a little tighter, to keep her close and himself steady.

Neither had ever kissed anyone else before. The sensations running through both of them as their lips moved together were intense and strange and wonderfully rousing. What with the rain, the coffee, and the cover of darkness, it felt like a scene out of a cheesy romance movie. 

The was a small gasp as Ellington suddenly unlatched herself from Lemony her face still mere inches from his own. Her breath came in short, soft pants, and as she stared at him, Lemony realized he was breathing heavily, too, and judging from the burning heat he could feel rising in his cheeks, Ellington's soft flush was reflected on his own face.

Their breathing finally slowed, and she smirked again. He didn't mind a bit.

"I knew there was a soft spot in there, somewhere" she said with grin. "Lemony"

The sound of his name on her lips send his stomach twisting and fluttering again. He shrugged, allowing his own expression to mimic hers. "Same to you" he replied, watching fiddle aimlessly with the handle of her teacup. Her face, normally so calm and calculated, was all pink flush, shining eyes, and gently curving lips. Unable to resist, he reached out and kissed her again, softer this time. Without breaking away, he whispered against her lips.

"Ellington" he said.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm the master of cheesiness. Ah, well. This fandom needs more fanworks, I tell you.


End file.
